Fish waste feeds the plants, and plants clean the water which is returned to the fish tanks. Beneficial bacteria in our filters break down fish waste so that it is easily absorbed by the plant roots, and beneficial insects and organic feeding help control pest populations naturally and safely. We will only be using aquaponics farming methods and the 4 poly tunnels will occupy a space of 10,800 square feet of which 5,760 square feet will be plant grow beds (think of them as 3 x 0.5ft x 6ft x 80ft long ponds in each poly tunnel). There will be two seeding beds which will contain up to 20,000 seedlings ready to replant in the grow beds.  The plants are inserted in a Styrofoam panel which floats on the grow beds and allows the roots of the plants to absorb as much nutrients as they require.

The fish we are looking to use are trout as they are a fresh water fish and can be sold to the fish markets in Aberdeen.  We would expect to rear approximately 4,000 fish each year in the in the fish tanks which hold approximately 22,712 litres of fresh water.  We will also install a sump tank to ensure the fish always have the correct amount of aerated water and we will also require three breeding tanks to allow the fish to grow to the correct size before we place them in the adult tanks.
Throughout the year we get good sun coverage until the winter, however we plan to purchase grow lights which will allow us to grow all year round.  Unlike other growers we will put the lights on a timer which will give the plants the same amount of light as they would get during the summer months.